Liam Pook, mobile director at global digital agency Essence, has been working in digital media for more than six years across a diverse client base that includes Proctor and Gamble, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Google’s EMEA digital portfolio.
Earlier this year, he was listed as one of the 30 most creative people in advertising under 30 by Business Insider.
What led you to advertising?
I’ve always been attracted to the psychology behind branding and advertising – what it is that makes people warm to (or detest) some brands over others. What techniques can brands employ to influence consumer behaviour? How can we, as an industry, make advertising more valuable for our clients?
Unsurprisingly, I also have a keen interest in mobile technologies, ever since I pimped out my Nokia 5110 with a flashing antenna back in the late 90s. These days, ad dollars fuel innovation in tech, hence why I’m working with Google at Essence.
What gets your clients and brands excited?
Broadly speaking, clients are interested in how they can better do three things: target consumers; connect with consumers; and measure the impact of their advertising.
Digital advertising throws up new methods of targeting quicker than what people in the industry can keep up with. Mobile, in particular, opens up a new world of contextual targeting – whether you’re using location data to deliver highly relevant ads (for example, via xAd) or app-detection technology to build profiles of users based on apps installed.
As new digital technologies emerge, we’re presented with new opportunities to engage with audiences, especially in the realm of mobile-rich media. The challenge to clients and brands is how they push the boundaries in mobile advertising, by using those attributes that are unique to mobile devices – swipe, motion sensor, camera, GPS and so on – to deliver ad creative that has real impact on whoever is exposed.
Mobile excites clients because it’s the most accountable advertising channel that ever existed. Whether it’s tracking app installs, web conversions, in-store visitation and positive brand uplift – increasingly important as advertisers start shifting brand spend to mobile – clients are finding it easier to justify spending on mobile.
What kind of future do you see for the advertising industry in general?
The future for digital advertising is looking bright. Expect to see greater accountability as we get better at measuring the impact of campaigns, and attributing alongside other channels. As new – and improved – mobile devices enter the market, we will see improved functionality, which means even greater creative capabilities. Just think of the potential of something like 3D advertising.
Those ad companies that capitalise on new tech will win out. We’re already seeing a huge growth in tech-based “media owners” that build their business around algorithms and exclusive data partnerships. I can only see this increasing over time.
If there’s one thing that this year’s Mobile World Congress taught me, it’s that the internet of things is a reality and will be coming to a home, city or fridge-freezer near you very soon. At this point, we’ll all be connected and your mobile device will become the remote control to your life.
What then? Who knows! What we do know is that data (and the profiling of users) will continue to be huge and that understanding where “the creepy line” lies will be as important as ever.
Liam Pook is mobile director at Essence
To find out more about the potential of location marketing, get in touch with the xAd team at contactus@xad.com
This advertisement feature is brought to you by xAd, sponsors of the Guardian Media Network’s Future of advertising hub.
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